Trolls said my daughter ‘wouldn't ever get a job' when I took her out of school but now she's going to UNI at 14

Scottish Sun

2 days ago

Her day looks nothing like the rigid timetable of most 14-year-olds
WHIZZ KID Trolls said my daughter 'wouldn't ever get a job' when I took her out of school but now she's going to UNI at 14
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A PROUD mum has shared news of her daughter's entry into university at just 14, despite trolls slating her online.
But unlike the thousands of students who received their A-level grades this week, Millie Smith from Rotherham, South Yorkshire, didn't bag a single one.
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Kim pulled her daughter Millie, 14, out of school at just 10-years-old
Credit: Supplied
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Millie is now ready to start her university psychology degree
Credit: supplied
Her mum, Kim Smith, 33, in fact decided to take her daughter out of school at the age of just ten - a move that prompted hundreds of strangers to question her parenting choices.
'People said she'd never get a job, that she'd be socially awkward, that she'd fall so far behind she'd never catch up,' says mum-of-two Kim.
'It was constant, people love to tell you you're doing the wrong thing.'
But four years on, Kim has the ultimate comeback.
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Millie, now 14, has just been accepted onto a BSc Honours in Psychology course and she's doing it without a single GCSE or A-level to her name.
'She'll be doing her degree before most kids her age even start their A-levels,' Kim proudly tells Fabulous.
'And she's done it on her own terms.'
Millie's educational journey took an unexpected turn during the Covid lockdowns.
Like millions of parents, Kim found herself suddenly in charge of her daughter's learning but she quickly realised the school's remote lessons weren't working for them.
Kim says: 'A lot of kids were struggling, and parents didn't understand the new teaching methods.
'It was causing so many arguments in homes everywhere. I thought, why are we forcing this? So we stopped following what the school sent and made our own work instead.'
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Those first few months gave Kim a taste of how different learning could be.
A few months after Millie returned to school, she left for good, beginning her home education.
Learning beyond the classroom
Kim explains how she adopted a "child-led" learning approach.
'At first, everyone tries to replicate school at home, the timetable, the subjects, but I quickly realised education isn't just about copying from a book or following a set curriculum.
'We moved to a child-led approach, where Millie chose the topics that interested her, like space, ancient Egypt, plants, even hair dye, and we built all the learning around that.'
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The family enjoy outdoor, hands on activities and aren't restricted to a classroom
Credit: Supplied
"That flexibility meant lessons could happen anywhere — on the sofa, at the park, even at the beach.
'People think home education means you're stuck indoors all day, but we're always out doing things,' Kim explains.
If Millie wanted to learn maths while sitting on a beach, we could. And if she felt too unwell in the morning, we could move lessons to the afternoon. It's about listening to her needs.'
Kim says her partner Luke, "teaches Millie about engines, maintenance and modifications of motorbikes and push bike".
The pair also share an interest in history and will often watch lots of educational documentaries together.
Luke suffered a heart attack and stroke in January and 14-year-old Millie has since helped him bring his speech and memory back using her knowledge of psychology and therapies.
Kim says with Millie's help "he's now almost back to himself and is back at work and helping with her home education".
Kim also tackled one of the biggest criticisms levelled at home education, which is the lack of socialisation.
The mum posts on social media on her account @learninghappiness where she has amassed over eight thousand followers and 42,000 likes on TikTok.
Throughout her time sharing her journey with followers, she's received backlash, particularly about her daughter's social interaction skills post home education.
One troll wrote: "Academic success is great but there's no substitute to the social interaction of school."
Another added: "Home education is really restricted in seeing other children and meeting people."
But the mum clapped back, de-bunking this stereotype.
'When people say, 'But won't she be lonely?' I ask, 'What makes you think that?'' Kim said.
'In school you're told to sit down and be quiet, that's not socialising."
Home-educated kids mix with people of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities. It's actually more organic than socialising in a classroom.'
When Kim couldn't find enough nearby meet-ups to suit her work schedule, she started her own home education group.
'We've now got nearly 2,000 families,' she says.
'We meet a couple of times a week, run workshops, and even hold a prom every year so the kids don't miss out.'
One prom, she recalls, summed up the difference between mainstream and home education.
'A child came wearing a suit and a toy octopus on their head. In school they'd have been ripped apart.
"Here, all the kids ran over saying, 'Wow, you look amazing, can I try your hat?' Me and my partner cried — it was such a beautiful moment of acceptance that you wouldn't get at a normal school.'
Homeschooling Rules in the UK
In the UK, homeschooling is a legal and viable option for parents... English and Welsh parents do not need permission to educate their child at home, but they must notify the school in writing if they are withdrawing their child from a school to home educate
Scottish parents must obtain consent from their local council before withdrawing their child from school, unless the child has never attended a public school
Parents must ensure their child receives an efficient full-time education suitable to their age, ability, and any special educational needs
There is no requirement to follow the National Curriculum, take standard exams, or adhere to school hours
However, parents still need to ensure their little ones are being adequalty educated. Otherwise, your local council can step in. Your local council can make informal inquiries to ensure your child is receiving adequate education
They may even request information about the home education provision to ensure the learning material is suitable
If the council believes your child is falling short, it can serve a School Attendance Order or issue a notice for attendance
Real-world lessons
Millie's 'school day' looks nothing like the rigid timetable of most 14-year-olds.
Mondays might mean creative writing club, Tuesdays arts and crafts, Wednesdays book club, Fridays outdoor nature sessions.
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Millie pursues her hobbies and interests as part of her education
Some days she does academic work, other days she focuses on hobbies or independent study.
'She's done university-level psychology courses online through Coursera, just because she wanted to,' Kim says.
Kim has also made sure Millie learns life skills alongside academics.
'In January, my partner had a heart attack and stroke,' she adds.
'For a week, Millie ran the house. I gave her my bank card and a budget, and she shopped, cooked, cleaned, made sure we had clothes for hospital visits — everything.
"She wouldn't have learned that in school.'
Getting into uni without exams
The Open University doesn't require GCSEs or A-levels for older applicants but for under-16s like Millie, the bar is high.
'They asked why she wanted to do psychology, did a phone interview, and set her a task,' Kim says.
'She had a month to write a 250-word essay explaining the 'Mozart effect'.
"She finished it in three hours. The next morning, she got her acceptance email.'
Millie will start part-time so she still has time for hobbies and friends, but even at that pace she's on track to graduate before she turns 21.
Kim is clear about the advantages of home education: personalised learning, flexible pacing, more time for passions, and strong life skills. But it's not without challenges.
'You have to be really hands-on as a parent, especially at first,' she admits.
'It takes time to find your rhythm and balance work with your child's needs. And some families might find the lack of a ready-made peer group tricky without making the effort to join communities.'
'I'm not saying it's for everyone, but it could work for far more kids than the system allows for,' Kim says.
Still, for Kim and Millie, it's been worth it.
Kim shared her daughter Millie has dyslexia and dyspraxia, but wasn't getting the attention she needed from teachers.
"When Millie first left school, her teacher had basically told her that she had to choose between either being bad at spelling or bad at writing for SATs.
"I said to them, that's a little bit like saying to someone whose legs aren't working and sight is bad that they have to choose between glasses or a wheelchair - it's ridiculous.
"Millie now loves writing and asks to go to creative writing classes, she just needed some attention and support."
The current school system is outdated. It's more focused on grades for league tables than what's best for the child."
"Millie's proof you can succeed without it.'
And as for the trolls who doubted her, Kim laughs: 'I don't need to tell them they were wrong. Millie's going to university at 14, that says it all.'
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Millie is enrolled at Open University